Destruction of herb garden contradicts active ageing message, says resident

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/10/destruction-of-herb-garden-contradicts-active-ageing-message-says-residen/

Destruction of herb garden contradicts active ageing message, says resident
Tuesday, 28 October 2008, 7:28 am 44 views

This is a follow-up to TOC’s earlier publication of an email from Mr Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi about the destruction of a herb garden in Yishun.

Teng Jingwei

All that remains of a 21-year old herb garden is a patch of carelessly levelled soil and several haphazardly arranged potted plants. The herb garden located at Block 819, Yishun, was a haven for senior citizens and other residents alike. It was razed to the ground a few days earlier by the town council on the pretext of it being the source of rodents in Zone D, which the area is in.

Mr Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi, aged 33, who resides in the area, lodged a complaint with the town council about the removal of the garden. His letter to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council questions the relevance of such action in the face of active ageing campaigns, particularly the recommendation to “encourage seniors to lead active lifestyles” made by the Committee of Ageing Issues. Mr Rafiz asserts that “the town council is sending out a contradicting message”.

“They would have had something to do if the herb garden was not destroyed” he said, referring to a couple of senior citizens who could be seen sitting around listlessly. “The herb garden served as a gathering area for neighbourhood activities such as barbeques and brought joy to the community.”

Mr Rafiz affirms that the plot of land had been in use for 21 years and is almost as old as the block of flats. “There was an implicit agreement to the existence of the herb garden,” he said. Residents attended to the garden voluntarily, and the elderly in particular looked after the herbs to keep themselves occupied. “There were no designated caretakers but if we would like to take some herbs from the garden we would ask permission from the 6 or 7 senior citizens who regularly water the plants,” Mr Rafiz explained.

According to him, the town council did not consult the residents before they cleared the garden.

The plants were dug up within a few hours one morning while he was away at work.

Unsuspecting residents returned to a scene of wreckage littered with uprooted herbs. Plants that could be salvaged are now stored in an array of pots near the void deck, but these bore no resemblance to the healthy garden that was once resplendent with life and joy..

The manager of the Residents’ Committee stated that the garden was removed in response to complaints of rodents breeding in Zone D. Mr Rafiz informed TOC that the sightings of rodents are at the coffee shop which is a 5-minutes walk away. What was termed as a “blanket policy”, in the words of Mr Rafiz, may have been an “over-simplistic approach” to solving the pest problem. He also maintains that there were no signs of damage by rodents on the herbs.

Mr Koh, aged 42, whose mother-in-law lives in block 819, has been visiting the area for more than 10 years. He expressed regret over the loss of the herbs, many of which had medicinal properties. “I don’t see any reason behind the destruction of the garden,” he said.

Mr Rafiz and Residents’ Committee members were to discuss “the unhappiness cause by the destruction of the herb garden”. Residents’ Committee members, however, did not show up for the meeting on Sunday, 26 October.

Mr Rafiz also told TOC that the Member of Parliament for the area, Ms Lee Bee Wah, has also not contacted him or the elderly residents who had cared for the garden.

Sudden removal of herb garden heartless, says resident

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/10/sudden-removal-of-herb-garden-heartless-says-resident/#comment-27546

Sudden removal of herb garden heartless, says resident

Friday, 24 October 2008, 8:01 am 934 views

We received this email from Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi which he wrote to the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council.

I am writing to express my deepest regret and unhappiness over the sudden destruction of the herb garden surrounding block 819 Yishun Street 81.

I have been a resident of this block and neighbourhod for the past 7 years. This was a peaceful and happy neighbourhood with a good mix of multi-cutural elderly, young adults and children. My two school-going children enjoy the company of Chinese and Indian friends as well as the care and concern of the eldery in the neighbourhood.

Since the day I moved into this neighbourhood, I have seen the elderly here tending to the herb garden that they have worked on for over twenty years. Others who retire later joined in and the herb garden became a regular routine activity that kept the elderly here active and cheerful.
At the same time, while they were working on the garden or having their short rests in between, the elderly here lend their watchful eyes over the children. My own children grew up with their friendly smiles and hugs. They learnt the value of multiculturalism through experience away from force-fed curriculum of National Education taught in schools. My own parents who are themselves retirees, although not staying with me, frequented my place and enjoyed the company of people their age here.

The last few days have been traumatic for the elderly here. With much grieve they saw the herb garden that they have put their sweat and soul in for many years being destroyed heartlessly. I saw tears and heard voices of despair as some of the elderly tried to salvage whatever is left from the plants into pots. Some had given up. An elderly Chinese neighbour at the second floor shared with me, “Sudah Dua Puluh Satu Tahun saya jaga ini pokok. Ini bukan pokok bunga tapi semua ini pokok Ubat yang banyak gunanya. Siapa lagi yang tahu? Kita (orang tua) saja yang tahu. Saya sedih. Macam saya nak cakap suruh buang saja semua jadi saya tak nampak. Apa boleh buat? Diorang boleh buat apa diorang suka. Dua puluh satu tahun diorang takda peduli tapi sekarang semua buang.”

“It has been 21 years since I cared for these plants. These are not flowers but all these are herbs that have many uses. Who else would know (about the herbs)? Only us (the aged) would know. I’m sad. I feel like telling them to dispose of everything so that I can’t see (anything left behind - note: some small plant in pots were left behind). What can I do? They can do what they want. For 21 years nobody cared about this area and now every they dispose.”)

I personally share my tears and grieve with them. I find the whole episode appalling. It is an outright contradiction to the messages of Active Aging that have been sloganised over and over.
My own daughter who is only a kindergarten student was upset when she saw the workers grabbed and dumped the plants aside. I personally feel that the actions in this episode is a reflection of heartless and cold-hearted mechanical policies.

Twenty years of effort have been destroyed. The pride of the aged here has been badly hurt. This episode will definitely be part of my memory and the memory of my children as well as the children in this neighbourhood.

Please relay my message to the Town Council Advisor.

Thank You.

In Utmost Unhappiness,

Rafiz Mohyi Hapipi